Photo documentation (a small selection)

20 April 2026
Norsand Boatyard
 
Dear <Norsand Management>,
 
It has required many hours to categorize and recategorize Norsand’s work, condense our notes, and gather photos. We have been working 7 days a week to get the boat back in the water, and thus the delay. However, we now can provide you with the following.
 
Attached you will find a spreadsheet that shows how much we have paid for various jobs. Much of the work in the invoices was not categorized correctly. This spreadsheet does so.
 
A little background: Migration was built in Japan in 1969, using polyester resin, unfortunately. In 2012 we wanted to sail back to French Polynesia from NZ but noticed delamination of the topside fiberglass in many places (not surprising given the resin choice). We asked Peter (who was yard manager) for a quote on replacing the fiberglass. It was outside of our budget at the time. Thus, with the urging of friends, we chose to sail to Thailand and do the work there. The work took 2 years and caused us a great deal of stress (Bruce’s hair went grey!). We continually admonished ourselves for not having the work done at Norsand.
 
This is why we looked forward to returning to Norsand in 2025 for this round of repairs – a yard we truly loved from our first time here in 2009 and which we have recommended to scores of cruisers over the years. And this is why our experience over the last year has been such a shock.
 
 
Billing
Because of the miscategorized jobs and the combining of different jobs in one line item, it was difficult to keep tabs on how much jobs cost. I would encourage the yard to sort this out.
             
 
Labor Quality
As we have said many times, Jimmy and Tony were exceptional. There were only a few issues which they willingly corrected. <J> was a slow and not very experienced worker. For example, Bruce (fortunately) happened to notice him preparing to fiberglass the port bow before it was repaired properly and stopped him just in time. This happened because Tony had been put on another job for a couple of days and was not there to supervise.
 
We’ve addressed the rigger issues in a separate email.
 
It is with the painting that the most problems have occurred. We imagine you are pretty well aware of the issues that the painting department has had for quite some time. Though we know you are making efforts to correct the situation, we were, unfortunately, the victims of a department filled with poor workers and under poor management. A few notes about this:
 
After the first round of interior painting, the port ama frames came out so poorly (as well as the issue with the aft lazarette lid, addressed below) that we told <D> we did not want <S> working on our boat. Unfortunately, he did not honor our request and the result is the paint job on port topside. Why such a poor paint job was not corrected immediately by those in charge is incomprehensible.
 
Additionally, <S> painted the aft lazarette lid twice because he said the Alexseal paint we provided did not cure. We were not here at the time but I am sure this is because he mixed it at the Awlcraft ratio of 2:1 instead of the Alexseal ratio of 1:1. We have used that paint many times for small repairs and it cured fine when we mixed it. The Alexseal paint was thus wasted and an inferior product put on without consulting us.
 
The issues with some of the other paint crew you are already aware of. These resulted in long delays, many mistakes, and many weeks of our time wasted.


Work We Didn’t Ask For
Following is some work that was completed that we never asked for and therefore should not pay for.
Hull sides next to the frames in port ama. We asked that only the frames be painted.
Ceiling of anchor locker. We did not request this as it was already epoxy coated.
When <S2> was told to clean up the boat in January, she did not consult with <B> and removed the plastic and tape protection before <B> was finished painting. Thus, <B> had to re-protect the boat. A waste of time and materials.
Boom: We didn’t want the entire boom painted — just the areas we had sandblasted and repaired.
Masts: Filling and sanding. Holes and dings filled that should have been left alone. We were very clear that we did not want small imperfections repaired. We were assured that the masts would only need a light sanding, a spray of primer, another sanding and then topcoat; we did not expect or want a $10,000 paint job.
 
Delays and Impact on Us
As a closed yard that advertises itself as providing professional services, Norsand did not deliver in several areas. We know that attempts are being made to turn that around. However, from September 2025 to January 2026 the work we agreed to did not move forward at the pace implied by our discussions. As noted in earlier emails we sent in 2025, the yard reassigned workers to other boats in the middle of our major jobs. This caused a delay of at least two months. Much of that time we could not do our own projects due to the condition of the boat. We have included a copy of an email from 25 September 2025 which clearly shows that worker availability was already becoming an issue before the work actually started. That was our first attempt to bring this to the attention of management. We have also included another email from November asking the yard to make Migration a priority and finish the work as promised.
Not only did poor workmanship cause Norsand to redo some of the jobs, it added weeks to our worklist. Examples of this are the filled holes on the mast and boom – something we explicitly said we did not want to have happen. We were lucky both of these filling ‘projects’ were stopped before they were complete. Jimmy stopped <S> from filling all the holes on the mast and Alene avoided a small disaster by rushing to the yard to discuss the boom with <D2>. We had specifically said to leave all holes. Now, however, we have spent hours determining where hardware should be placed on the mast, and have hours yet to go with the boom.
In January, nearly 2 weeks went by where, because of work stoppage due to mismanagement of product, we could do nothing on the boat as it was covered in plastic.
The constant delays in completing (and fixing) the work meant we had to cancel several visits from family and friends. Our entire sailing season was lost.
Much of our time was spent finding problems, communicating them to management, and then ensuring the problems were corrected. When we pay a professional for services, we do not expect to have to manage that professional. We expect them to deliver what they promise.
 
 
Overcharges, Hidden Costs, and Time Wasted
We were charged $8,676.96 for the Awlcraft paint products. The official quote from International was $5,993.52, and <D> said that was high.
2+ months extra of scaffolding charges that totaled nearly $10,000.
2+ months extra of flat rental.
2+ months extra of car costs: fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc.
Starting and stopping jobs costs more in labor and materials. Any professional knows that leaving a job for a week requires more effort to get it going again. Tools have to be moved back and forth, tape lines retaped, etc.
Months of delay because we could not work on the boat during painting – even when painting wasn’t happening. <A>, you will remember that we practically begged you to have Jimmy start the mast repairs in October so that we could be working on putting the hardware back on the masts while the topsides were being painted. Due to the delays in repairing the masts and painting them, we had to scramble throughout March to get them in shape for re-stepping.
Lots of overspray on various pieces of hardware – which we cleaned up.
We were charged $8,531.41 to paint the new frames, a small area in the shower, the closet ceiling, and small areas of the v-berth walls and part of the ceiling. This is exorbitant.
$3,298.16 just to paint the aft lazarette lid.
$372.50 to move the mast to the half-round and then the next day to move it to the workshop. All because of non-communication among staff.
As the rigging billing is difficult to separate, it is hard to determine exact costs for different parts of the job. However, we know that <G> charged 15.5 hours of labour to put our rigging and steering cables together in 2010. We know there was more labor involved in disassembly and repair for this job. However, the total hours charged this time was over 4 times that amount.
 
 
Materials Waste
As goods from the store are not itemized on our bill, it is impossible to know if our materials bills are accurate. We do know that there has been a great deal of wastefulness: paints not closed properly; thinners left without the cap on; taping and retaping and retaping ad infinitum; plastic removed from the boat and then put back on; materials purchased, not used, then not returned, etc.
 
 
Loss of Confidence
Will the topside paint last? Was the mainmast repaired correctly when it was sanded through to bare wood after being coated with epoxy and multiple coats of Interprotect? Given how much poor workmanship has happened, how many of the paint jobs will fail prematurely? What other damage to the interior or exterior will we find?
 
Rather than leaving the yard feeling like Migration is in great shape, these are the questions created by a multitude of errors (please see separate email that documents mistakes, messes, forgotten cleanup, etc..)
 
On top of that, the experience of our galley items being taken from the boat, and the theft of our painkillers – all without an apology and an initial comment blaming us – does not add to a feeling that the yard values our business.
 
 
Yard Attitude
One of the most galling things was that with every discussion throughout late 2025, the yard did not seem to care about the problems, expenses and delays they were causing us. There was always an excuse that another boat needed the workers. If the yard mismanages their labor, we should not bear the financial burden and loss of time. The yard’s lifeblood is working on boats. Not so for your clients. The time wasted cannot be returned and we resent the lack of cooperation we received.
 
We would ask you to answer truthfully: Was the work on Migration performed with a professionalism that the yard is proud of, and if this were your boat and your experience, would you be pleased with the outcome?
 
We acknowledge that you have corrected many of the mistakes at your cost. However, we should not bear the costs of mismanagement, poor workmanship, and poor hiring practices.
 
Our bill should be reduced by $29,500.
 
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Best,
 
Bruce & Alene
s/v Migration
 
 
 
 
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2025 21:20
To: ‘Norsand | Services’ <services@norsand.co.nz>; ‘Norsand | Supervisor’ <supervisor@norsand.co.nz>
Subject: Migration status
 
Hi <Norsand Management>,
As you know, the safety scaffolding is now installed. Thanks for making that happen.
 
We have removed the hardware required for Tony to begin work: Windlass, bow roller, cleats, chocks, mast wires thru-deck, spinnaker track, stbd cockpit line box, etc. The only remaining piece is the foredeck hatch which will be removed Friday.
 
As we’ve said in the past, we would like the work to be done in a timely manner. What we would like to avoid is having our projects spread out due to lack of workers and thus not finishing before the holidays. This should be no problem provided we start as soon as possible and the work on the deck is completed so that <D> has plenty of time for painting.
 
We were very surprised to find that Tony is extremely busy with several projects when we specifically requested his time for the end of September months ago.  Beginning last year, we’ve tried very hard to keep you apprised of our needs and timing. We hope that we won’t be disappointed.
 
Thanks very much,
Bruce & Alene
 
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2025 13:49
To: ‘Norsand | Supervisor’ <supervisor@norsand.co.nz>; ‘Norsand | Services’ <services@norsand.co.nz>
Subject: Migration Status
 
Hi <Norsand Management>,
I believe that the scaffolding is not coming until Friday. This news is a bit unsettling as we first discussed modifying the scaffolding two weeks ago. This delay will definitely impact the project.

As you know, we were hoping to have the painting done and be out of the tent by the holidays. I’m not sure that’s possible now as there is a great deal of hardware that needs to be installed after the painting is finished – both on the boat and the spars. Additionally, we will be away for the first half of January.
 
I understand that there are many projects you must address in the yard as well as unforeseen events. But I’ll reiterate that we’ve been clear about our schedule for months. I do feel that if Tony and Jimmy hadn’t been drawn away, the deck work would have been finished some time ago and the masts would have been repaired and ready for painting.

The delays in the project also add up in yard fees, scaffolding fees, and our flat rental.
 
I know you want to check Migration off your list. That will only happen if she becomes a priority in the yard.
 
Thanks,
Bruce & Alene